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10 Winter Break Outings Your Family Will Love!

Posted Thursday, December 20th, 2018

The Children’s Garden at Huntington Library

The kids are out of school for winter break and you can’t just have them sitting at home doing nothing! We found 10 amazing family outings for every single weekday (!) of Christmas week and New Year’s week. End 2018 and start 2019 with unforgettable family time!

59th Annual Free LA County Holiday Celebration *FREE!* December 24: Bring the whole family to Los Angeles’ biggest, Emmy Award-winning holiday show. Choirs, music ensembles and dance companies from the many neighborhoods and cultures of L.A. celebrate the season during this free three-hour extravaganza, a decades-old tradition, beloved by Angelenos. The entire production will also be broadcast live on local public television. Monday, 3-6 p.m. Free; no reservations or tickets to the show; first come, first seated. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at The Music Center.

Snow Days at Kidspace Museum December 26-30: Play in real snow, build your own snowman friend, perfect your snowball-making skills, and make snow angels. Continue to celebrate the season with live performances each day, winter-themed art, and the science of snow. Break out your mittens, boots, and snow hat for a day of winter wonderland fun! Wednesday – Sunday. Included with museum admission.

Festival of Lights at The Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside *OPEN NEW YEAR’S DAY!* Through January 6: Your family will be swept away by more than 3.6 million brilliant lights transforming Riverside’s historic hotel into magic. In addition to the external light display, throughout the season The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa features a decorated Christmas tree, appearances by Santa Claus and Dickensian Carolers singing cheerful holiday tunes, authentic horse-drawn carriages, live reindeer, and hundreds of characters dressed in 17th century costumes to entertain crowds and evoke the spirit of the season.

New Year’s Eve at the Waterfront in Long Beach December 31: Downtown Long Beach welcomes the new year in style with a family-friendly event on the waterfront, and street party. At 9 p.m., the sky will light up for an East Coast countdown with a fireworks spectacular from Rainbow Harbor’s lighthouse peninsula! Monday, 5-10:30 p.m. Free.

Chinese Lantern Festival at Pomona Fairplex *OPEN NEW YEAR’S DAY!* Through January 6: Experience authentic and amazing larger-than-life handcrafted lanterns, live entertainment and food. Enjoy elements of culture such as Chinese folk artists demonstrating their ancient crafts, all with the ambiance to reconnect with nature and to create lifelong memories with friends and family. Over 1,000 lanterns, live kung fu/Chinese martial arts performances, free kung fu coaching on stage, dinosaur rides, and more! Open Thursdays through Sundays and Holidays, 5:30-10 p.m. Tickets, $13-21; parking, $12. Pomona Fairplex.

Enchanted: Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens *OPEN NEW YEAR’S DAY!* Through January 6: Enchanted Forest of Light is an interactive, nighttime experience unlike anything else in Los Angeles, featuring a one-mile walk through unique lighting experiences in some of the most beloved areas of Descanso Gardens. Runs daily from 5:30 – 10 p.m. Purchase tickets online. Closed on December 24 (Christmas Eve), and December 25 (Christmas Day).

Holiday Time in PaleyLand Select dates, through January 6: The Paley Center for Media celebrates the joy of the season with a special family-friendly experience. Holiday Time in PaleyLand features continuous daily screenings of beloved classic holiday TV programs from the Paley Archive. Families can also enjoy special holiday activities like arts and crafts, dreidel games, and hot cocoa! Wednesdays – Sundays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Free.